A Knight for Neptune
by Katrina S. Forest
Summary: As Haruka begins dating Taylor, Michiru can't help but feel left out and starts to wonder if she's destined to be alone. If the legends are true, Michiru should have a knight as well. But in a quest for love, the senshi's pride may be her downfall.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 1   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Michiru sighed as she packed up her violin case. Tonight's concert had been a great success, as usual. A good promotion for her new CD, so Michiru was told by her agent. The aqua-haired girl placed her instrument down delicately as if it were made of glass, tucking the bow and shoulder pad into their respective compartments. The snapping shut of the case lock was the only sound that filled the room. 

Michiru reached for her coat, laid neatly over her chair. Warm fur hugged Michiru's bare shoulders as she pulled it up, the dark brown material a sharp contrast to the dazzling white evening gown Michiru had chosen to wear tonight. 

On Michiru's dresser sat her hairbrush with two pink bands wound around the handle in case of fashion emergency. Next to that was the plaque commemorating her first place performance at the Tokyo Summer Music Festival. And next to that, a photo of her, Haruka, and Taylor. Michiru pushed the frame away from her. It wasn't that she didn't like that picture. It was one of the few photos Haruka would allow to be taken of her wearing that cute little dress of hers. Michiru only wished there was a fourth person in the picture. Someone for her. 

Michiru scolded herself for her childish thoughts. Love was not an option now. Not with another CD on the way out, and a new enemy lurking in the shadows. If anything, she should be happy she wasn't in a relationship. Poor Haruka, tied down with Taylor. She was going to be in a tight fix when her races starting coming. Of course, Taylor wasn't like a normal boyfriend. He was Haruka's knight. 

Michiru sighed again and picked up the violin case, worn with years of love and dedication for its art.   
As she headed for the door, the girl paused and turned around, looking over the empty space in the room.   
"Who am I kidding?" she asked and turned off the light. "I'll never find someone for me." 

As Michiru walked out into the night, the wind picked up just a bit and blew her hair forward, tickling the skin on her neck. It was dark; everyone else had long since gone home after the concert was over, while Michiru stood and waited anxiously for Haruka to arrive and pick her up. Haruka had been very busy lately, between the track team and school and of course, Taylor and the Sailor Senshi, that Michiru didn't see much of her. So she was happy for the little time she got even if it was something simple like getting picked up after a concert. 

While Michiru was lost in her thoughts, a voice called out from behind her, 

"Miss Michiru!" Michiru turned around to see a young man approaching her. A young man straight light hair, almost the color of snow, piled on top of his head. Deep, kind blue eyes were shadowed behind the lens of his large glasses. Now as he ran out to where Michiru was standing, he had to take a moment to catch his breath before speaking. Michiru knew this person fairly well; he was the stage manager at several of her concerts. 

"Hello, Nathan," she said pleasantly. "What brings you out here?" 

"Here," Nathan replied, still a bit out of breath as he held out a small cloth for Michiru to see. "I think you left this inside." She glanced down to see it was the handkerchief that Makoto had embroidered for her on her last birthday. 

"You came out here just to give me that?" Michiru asked skeptically. Nathan turned bright red and looked down and the ground. 

"Well, yeah," he said. "I just saw you always had it with you, so I thought it might be something special. Plus, I... I wanted to see you again and tell you that I... I thought you sounded gorgeous tonight, Miss Michiru." 

"You're sweet," said Michiru with a soft giggle, taking the handkerchief from him. "Thank you." At this, Nathan finally seemed to warm up, at least long enough to take his gaze away from the cement at Michiru's feet. 

"You're welcome," he said. "If you want, I can wait with you until your ride comes. You shouldn't be out here by yourself." 

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine on my own," Michiru replied. 

"Are you sure...?" Nathan began, but his sentence was cut off by the honking of a car horn as a sharp yellow convertible appeared on the road and pulled up to the curb. The driver was a short-haired blond with blue eyes and a sparky attitude. 

"Hey there Michiru!" she said winking, resting her arm onto the head of the passenger's seat. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting." 

"Not at all," said Michiru formally, as if she were addressing a teacher or some other authority figure. The driver of the car smiled and turned her attention towards the boy standing there looking frozen to the sidewalk. 

"Hi, I'm Haruka! What's your name?" she asked as she leaned over and opened the car door so Michiru could get in. 

"N-nathan," he answered nervously. Michiru paid not a bit of attention to the conversation between Nathan and Haruka and the moment she was inside the car, she quickly pulled the door shut and said to Haruka, 

"Well, let's get going." 

Haruka shrugged and put the car into drive. 

"Nice meeting you!" she said, and with that, the car sped down the road and disappeared around the corner. 

* * *

The ride home began unusually quiet, even Michiru had to admit to herself. She couldn't say exactly what was causing the awkward silence. Maybe just that she couldn't quite think of anything to say, and apparently Haruka couldn't either. But she had to say something, talk about school or track or some other general topic. Otherwise Haruka might bring up... 

"So..." said Haruka with a smile. "Who was the guy?" 

"The stage manager for my concert," Michiru replied, matter-of-factly, mentally kicking herself for not speaking first. 

"Yeah? He seemed to like you." 

"That's nice," Michiru replied, still speaking in as few words as possible with the hopes that Haruka would get the idea and move off the subject. But of course she didn't. 

"Ah," said Haruka knowingly, as if she had just solved the meaning of life. 

"What do you mean 'ah'?" Michiru demanded. 

"Nothing," answered Haruka with a wave of innocence and a mischievous pause before she added, "You just seemed a little sweet on him too." At those words, Michiru's cheeks flashed a bright red. 

"Sweet on him?" she asked angrily. "Look Haruka, just because you're spending all your time with some guy doesn't mean you have to try and set me up too." Haruka's face fell. 

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to say anything to hurt you." 

"It's fine," Michiru replied softly as she fingered her purse in her lap. "Don't worry about it." 

The rest of the ride was silent until the yellow convertible at last pulled up in front of Haruka and Michiru's apartment with a slight screech of the brakes. Michiru gathered her belongings and stepped out of the door, Haruka following behind after she had put the top up and rolled up the windows, securing her vehicle for the night. 

"I'm sorry if I said something to upset you," she said, walking up to the apartment door and inserting the key. "But you know, you really need to relax..." 

"I'm perfectly relaxed," Michiru said, cutting off the last syllable of Haruka's words as she walked swiftly past her and into the apartment. Haruka sighed and followed. Apparently she wasn't going to get any farther with this tonight. 


	2. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 3   
by Katrina Kadabra 

"Thanks again for driving me back from my study class!" said Usagi as she sat in the passenger's seat of Haruka's convertible, her long ponytails flying like two whips behind her head. 

"No problem!" Haruka answered. "I know you need all the extra help you can get with your schoolwork." 

Usagi glared angrily at Haruka. "What's THAT supposed to mean?" she asked. 

"Nothing," Haruka replied. "I'm just picking on you, kitten." The two girls glanced sternly at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter. 

"So, how are things going with you and Taylor?" Usagi inquired. 

"Just fine," Haruka replied. "We've been going out a lot lately. To tell you the truth," she added quietly. "I never thought I'd be so close to him. Ever since that one battle, it's like he's become like a missing side to me. If that doesn't sound completely cliché." 

"Mm-mmm," said Usagi, shaking her head. "That's how it is with me and Mamo-chan too. But I think it's just great that you and Taylor are so close." Usagi sighed and leaned back on the seat, her hands behind her head. "So, how is Michiru doing?" she asked. The smile dissipated from Haruka's face. 

"To be honest, not so well," she admitted. "She's been acting kind of odd lately. I don't know what to make of it." 

"Maybe she's nervous with all her concerts and her new CD release?" Usagi suggested. 

"Maybe," said Haruka. "But those things never bothered her this much before. I don't know. I wonder if my dating Taylor has somehow upset her." 

"Did she say that?" Usagi inquired. 

"Not in so many words," Haruka replied. "But Michiru and I have always spent all our time with each other. And now that Taylor's here, we're losing some of that time. That and..." Haruka cut herself off. 

"That and what?" Usagi asked. 

"Nothing," Haruka replied. She pulled the car up to the shrine. "Here we are, dumping-hair. Sailor Senshi meeting." 

The two got out of the car and hurried up the steps to the shrine. As they pushed open the door, they saw everyone else was already there waiting, including all of the inner senshi and Michiru. 

"Are you and Greg going to this Friday's dance?" Makoto could be heard saying as Usagi and Haruka walked in. 

"Oh yes," Ami answered. "And you and Ken?" 

"Naturally," said Makoto with a smile. "It's hard to believe, but I really think this might be something special, you know?" 

"Speaking of which," said Rei as Haruka took her usual seat next to Michiru. "I hear someone else we know is going to be at the dance as well." She gave Haruka an ever-so-casual nudge with her elbow. 

"Yeah, Michiru got asked to play a song on her violin," Haruka said, as she reached into her backpack and pulled out the tuna sandwich she had meant to eat for lunch today. Michiru lightly tossed her hair at Haruka's mention of her performance, but was all to quickly disappointed when Rei exclaimed, 

"Not Michiru, you! Taylor did ask you to the dance, didn't he Haruka?" 

"Oh?" Haruka asked innocently, unwrapping her belated meal. "You mean he was supposed to ask me?" Rei sweatdropped and Haruka giggled. "Actually, Taylor did ask me first, mostly because he knew about it first." Her checks turned a touch pink. "To be honest, I'm kind of nervous." 

"Nervous about what?" Minako asked. "You two are destiny, remember?" At that, all the girls let out a romantic sigh. Michiru merely shrugged it off. At that point, Luna and Artemis walked into the room, followed by Diana. 

"Glad you could all make it here," she said. "I hope it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. 

"Not at all," said Michiru properly as she straightened herself up. 

"What's so important?" Haruka wanted to know, taking a bite into the sandwich. As she did, some of the tuna fell onto her shirt, which brought Diana gleefully over. 

"Well," said Luna, glancing over in Artemis' direction. "We want to be honest with you girls. Artemis and I... well, we're... we're a bit concerned." 

"About what, Luna?" Makoto asked. Luna sighed, and Michiru could tell this explanation wasn't going to be easy. 

"As you know, at the fall of the Silver Millennium, Queen Serenity was able to rescue each of you from complete destruction, sending you to a new life in this present time. With the exception of Prince Endymion, none of your parents, siblings, lovers, or friends of the Silver Millennium were able to follow you into this time. At least, that's what we thought. But now..." She turned to Haruka. "The presence of your knight here in modern day Tokyo indicated to us that maybe the princesses weren't the only ones to be reborn. Furthermore, it had led us to conclude that the other knights of the Silver Millennium may be here as well, and may be closer than we think." 

"But if our knights did appear here in modern day Tokyo, how would we recognize them?" Ami inquired. 

"You would recognize them the same way Haruka recognized Taylor. Because of the strong bond of love you shared in your past lives, you would be very close and even have feelings for this person in your present lives. Which leads me to my next conclusion..." 

"That our boyfriends are actually knights from the Silver Millennium?" Rei piped up. A large sweatdrop formed on the black cat's forehead. 

"I'm not saying that exactly, but it is a possibility..." 

"Oh wow!" Minako exclaimed with eyes sparkling like stars. "I can't wait to tell Jamie that we're actually fated to be together since our past lives!" 

"That's exactly what you shouldn't do," said the white cat perched on top of her head. "We don't know if Jamie or the others are knights or not. Unless they reveal themselves to be otherwise, you still must treat them as if they were normal people, and you must keep your identities as Sailor Soldiers secret." 

"I guess you're right," Minako sighed. "To know that their true love is already a knight from Silver Millennium… Usagi and Haruka are so lucky..." Makoto, Rei, and Ami nodded in agreement. 

"What's the difference if they are or they aren't?" Michiru asked. The room suddenly fell quiet as everyone turned to stare at the aqua-haired girl in the corner, who up until this point, had been silent herself. "Even if all of your boyfriends turn out to be knights like you wish," she said coldly. "They're only there to protect you, not swoon over you." She glanced back at Luna. "You had something else to tell us?" she asked. 

"Well, um, yes," Luna managed to stutter. "Just that you girls should be cautious. We don't have much information on our new enemies, but if the knights have begun to appear, it may be a sign that we are up against a force more powerful than we can handle on our own." 

"I see," said Michiru, standing up and taking her backpack with her. "Well, if that's all then, I do have a lot of work to do. I'll see you girls at school tomorrow." With that she turned and walked wistfully out the door. Haruka got up and followed. 

"Just hang on a second," she said the moment she got outside and found Michiru standing on the temple steps. "What was that all about?" Michiru turned around. 

"What do you mean?" 

"The way you were talking in there," said Haruka. "I've never heard you so sharp with the girls. Or so pessimistic for that matter." Michiru thought for a moment and then sighed. 

"I guess I did sound that way, didn't I?" she asked. Haruka nodded. "I didn't mean to," Michiru went on. "I'm sorry. I just... I don't know. I've just been kind of down lately, you know?" She lowered her head, looking like she was ready to cry. "I'm really sorry." 

"It's okay," said Haruka, placing an understanding arm over her friend's shoulder. "Come on, I'll drive you home." 


	3. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly.   
Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 4   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Michiru tossed and turned in her sleep all night, gripping ever tighter to the blanket at her side. She could feel the darkness slowly creeping over her. She kept seeing those awful images. Why? The city she loved was ripped to shreds before her. In her mind, her friends' lives vanished like a quick white smoke. And above it all stood the figure of a girl, a girl with fiery red braided hair and dark eyes with a gaze of ice. She stood wearing a heavy armor of gold and black, taking one glance at the destruction around her. And laughing. What this the new enemy Luna was speaking of? The one that was supposedly too powerful for the senshi to defeat on their own? Why did the images of destruction have to haunt Michiru as they did? It happened when Death Busters attacked too. And Michiru did not want to see it again. 

"No!" Michiru suddenly screamed and jolted out of bed, waking herself from the taunting nightmare. As soon as she realized she was back in her bedroom, she clamped her hands over her mouth, hoping she didn't wake Haruka up. When her palms touched her lip, she could fee the skin was cold and damp with sweat. After a moment, the room still remained silent, and Michiru supposed that Haruka had actually managed to sleep through the whole incident. It was just as well. Michiru did not want to have to explain her irrational behavior again. That in mind, she laid down and tried to go back to sleep. 

* * *

The next morning, much to Haruka's surprise, she found Michiru awake before she was. 

"Good morning, sleepy head!" she said in a carefree tone, peeking her head into Haruka's bedroom. "Get up, I made breakfast." Haruka was shocked to see Michiru up earlier than her, but nevertheless, she quickly changed her clothes and walked into the kitchen. 

"This is a surprise," she said, looking at the meal in front of her. Michiru had laid out all sorts of goodies, including scrambled eggs, Haruka's favorite. "What brought this up?" she asked. 

"I decided last night," Michiru said. "I'm just going to go on with my regular life. I'm not going to let this knight thing bother me anymore." Haruka skeptically raised an eyebrow. 

"Do I believe you?" she asked. 

"You'd better," Michiru replied with a wink. "If you want to keep getting breakfast in the morning." She set a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of Haruka. "Now hurry up and eat, or you'll be late." 

Michiru smiled as Haruka began eating the food she had made. Everything was as it should be, calm and peaceful. She would just pass off that nightmare she had last night. She would forget all this mess. It was probably just her overactive imagination anyway. So she hoped. 

* * *

Meanwhile, in the darkness, a young woman approached her two companions. A woman wearing a gold and black armor with red hair done up in a tight braid. 

"What do you think, Eos?" she asked in a cold voice. 

Another girl with white skin and long yellow hair that reached to her ankles turned around. Her flowing hair followed like a cape. "I think if we're ever going to invade the earth, I'm going to have to get a makeover," she sighed, looking deeply in a red hand mirror. "I look a mess." 

"No one's looking at you," the third one muttered. This one had short blue hair which curled slyly at the tips and was by far the tallest of the three there. She also had darker skin and a stronger build than Eos, whose frail body looked like it was going to be crushed by the golden armor she wore. 

"Shut up, Cin," she muttered under her breath. 

Cin ignored the amateur's petty insults and strode over to a large dark pool. The transparent liquid seemed innocent, but if one gazed into the water's surface hard enough, they would see not a reflection, but an image. An image of whatever Cin's power summoned it to be, in the case, a sparkling view of the solar system. 

"There are ten Sailor Soldiers are earth besides the guardian of earth himself, Madame Garnet," Cin explained, running her hand over the water's surface. As she did, each of the planet's let out a sparkling glow, showing its power. "And each of them are going to try and fight us to the death before we can even get close to our goal." 

"The moon is all I'm worried about," Garnet replied. "The lights from the other planets are weak, we should be able to overpower them easily." As she spoke, a few more flickers of light appeared in the dark pool. Upon seeing them, Garnet's eyes widened in anger. 

"W-what the heck is this?!" she asked. "New stars appearing now? It can't be." 

"Calm down, Madame Garnet," said Cin. This is not the present, but the near future. These are lights that will be showing themselves soon." She paused for a moment to glare into the water and this approaching threat. "Their power is similar to that light which protects the earth," she observed. "And each of them has appeared by one of the inner planets." 

Garnet groaned in response. "What about the outer planets?" she asked, rubbing her forehead. 

"Only one has appeared that we know of, by the planet Uranus. The others are... wait." Next to the greenish-blue planet, there was a small flicker. But Cin was having trouble distinguishing it. It was as if this new star was trying to decide whether or not to awaken. 

"There might be another light appearing near Neptune," Cin said. "But it is still to early to tell." 

"Well then, don't wait around until it does!" Garnet barked. "We must eliminate the Sailor Senshi before they gather any more allies. Once we have the Silver Imperial crystal, eliminating all other obstacles will be a walk in the park." 

* * *

"Michiru? Michiru!" Michiru groggily opened her eyes. A voice was calling out to her. Where was she again? She rubbed her eyes and ran her hand through her hair, waving wildly in the wind. Yes, she remembered now; she was sitting in Haruka's car on the ride home from school. The day had dragged on like Michiru had never known it to before, even band practice seemed to last for hours. Michiru yawned again. 

"What's the matter with you?" Haruka asked. "Sheesh, you've been falling asleep all day. It's not like you. Didn't you sleep last night?" 

"Not really," Michiru admitted. "I kept having this dream." 

"Really? I slept just fine," Haruka replied. "What did you dream about?" Michiru was surprised Haruka would ask such a question. Normally, if danger was threatening the earth, she and Haruka both had recurring dreams about it, sometimes accompanied by visions during the day. The girls' thoughts were always in sync with each other's. But if Haruka wasn't seeing anything, then perhaps it really was just Michiru's overactive imagination. 

"Nothing," she said quietly and tried to push the thought from her mind. "Hurry up and let's get home, I want to show you the dress I picked out for Friday." 

"Okay, if you insist..." said Haruka with a smile. She pushed her foot down just a touch harder on the gas, and the car whirred with energy, taking off with a shot down the road. 

Once they reached the apartment, Michiru anxiously got out of the car, almost before it had come to a complete stop. 

"Come on," she said, walking to the driver's side and playfully pulling on Haruka's arm. "Let's go." But Haruka only laughed and pulled her arm back, almost taking Michiru with it. The girl caught her balance, however, and in return, whacked Haruka with the sleeve of her jacket. 

"You're so mean!" 

The game of tug-of-war over, the two girls headed into the apartment, Michiru ahead, who went straight to her room. As she rummaged through the closest, Haruka came in and sat down on the bed, waiting to see what it was Michiru had decided on for her little concert this week. 

After glancing through the different outfits, Michiru finally came to the one she wanted, far in the back, and delicately removed the hanger from its perch. Carefully she pulled out the dress and held it up for Haruka to see. The material was a beautiful aquamarine, with a full skirt that flared out just a touch at the waist. Underneath was another layer of fabric, like satin with a metallic reflection so that whenever Michiru turned her hips, the bottom of the skirt let off a shimming sparkle. 

"It looks great," said Haruka with a nod of approval. Michiru smiled and started to put the dress away. 

"Hey, Haruka?" she asked, glancing up with the most innocent eyes she could muster. "If Taylor get happens to cancel on you..." 

"Taylor is not going to cancel on me," Haruka replied. "I thought you said you were settled on this, Michiru. You're going there to play your solo, not to show off a date." 

"It's not showing off," Michiru objected. "And this doesn't have anything to do with the knights. It's just... well, it's just that... I'm a little nervous. I haven't gone to a dance single before." Haruka sighed and placed an understanding hand on her friend's shoulder. 

"Don't worry about it," she said. "You don't need a date with you to prove yourself to other people. You're fine as you are." She patted Michiru on the shoulder and then headed for her room to look for her track uniform. Michiru followed behind. "Besides," Haruka went on with a grin. "If all the guys know you're available, you might just find someone..." 

"It's them knowing I'm available that worries me," Michiru said, massaging her forehead. "You know how I get stalked by some of the fans. Remember in the music store?" 

Haruka thought back for a moment. "Oh, yeah. That guy was kinda creepy, wasn't he?" 

"Try obsessive," Michiru corrected. "What am I going to do if I get cornered by someone again?" 

"I'm still going to be there," Haruka assured her. "And if anyone starts giving you trouble, I'll beat the guy senseless. How's that?" 

Michiru giggled. "Must you always resort to violence?" she asked. 

"If it gets the job done," Haruka replied with a shrug on her shoulders. "Listen, if you want to Michiru, why don't you ask someone to go with you? Doesn't have to be romantic, just a casual date." 

"And who would I ask?" Michiru asked with a dash of sarcasm, even though she already had a good idea of what Haruka was going to say. 

"I dunno," Haruka replied. "That guy who worked at your last concert, maybe. What's his name, Nathan? He seemed pretty nice. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you out." 

"Couldn't think of anyone else, could you?" Michiru asked. 

"Nope," Haruka answered with a grin. "But if you're going to ask him, you'd better hurry. The dance is in three days." She grabbed her tote bag and headed for the door. "I've got track practice, so I'll see you in a couple hours or so. Good luck, Aphrodite."   
  



	4. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: I'm so very sorry, everyone, for taking so long to add this chapter. I've actually been working my new website, which should be up this week, but nevertheless kinda took a while to put together. (Perhaps I write too much...) Anyways, I'll try to be more timely with updates in the future. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 5   
by Katrina Kadabra 

"Nate! Hey, Nate! Nathan!" 

Upon hearing his name called, Nathan shook himself back to reality. It seemed like Michiru wasn't the only one zoning out nowadays. Of course, Nathan had other reasons. 

"What's with you?" the young man who had been calling him asked. "Sheesh, you're so out of it." 

"I can't help it," Nathan replied. "All I can think about is asking Michiru to that dance. But every time I come near the girl, I panic. Heck, I've been downright avoiding her. I haven't even said a word to her since the other day." 

His friend sighed. "Geez, you really are love-struck, aren't you?" Nathan reluctantly nodded. 

"I can't help it. Have you ever seen someone as perfect, lovely, talented..." 

"No," his friend admitted. "And neither have I seen someone so completely in love with a girl and yet so terrified to ask her to a simple dance." 

"Michiru's the jewel of the student body," Nathan responded sadly. "What chance do I have with her?" With that, he turned to leave. 

At the same moment, unbeknownst to either of the two boys, Michiru was standing nervously outside the audio visual room. It was well known Nathan always came out here when he was done editing for the afternoon. Michiru found herself nervously looking at her watch every two minutes, she didn't know why. There was no reason for her to be this anxious. She was just asking for a simple favor from a friend. Nothing more. There was no reason to get so excited. Just relax, she told herself. Just relax, and... 

"Michiru!" Michiru almost jumped a mile when she heard Nathan call out her name, just coming out of the room and understandably surprised to see the girl he'd been dreaming about standing before him. 

"W-what are you doing here?" he managed to stutter out. At first, Michiru felt her checks turning bright red, but then she quickly regained herself as she casually ran her hand through her signature aquamarine hair. 

"Oh, hello Nathan! I'm so sorry... I didn't see you there." 

"Great," Nathan thought to himself. Here he had gotten himself all excited over nothing. She had probably just come here by mistake or... 

"Do you think I could talk to you for a minute?" Michiru asked shyly. Nathan snapped back to full attention. A minute? He'd give her a lifetime. Nathan nodded and the two of them stepped into the audio-visual room. 

Inside, Michiru found herself surrounded by video screens, microphones, computers, and literally walls of video tapes. Nathan showed her to a chair, one of those swivel chairs you could spin yourself around in if ever you became bored, and then he himself took a seat across from her. 

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked. Michiru was playing nervously with her fingers. 

"I don't know how to put this," she began. "But I'm in a bit a tight spot, you see, and well..." She took a deep breath. Say it now, Michiru, she told herself. Or else you'll never say it. "You know that dance Friday night? I was wondering if... you'd be willing to take me?" 

At that, Nathan almost fell backwards out of his seat. 

"You want me to take you?" he asked, agog. 

"It's really short notice and very awkward I know," said Michiru apologetically. "But I have to go there to play a solo, and with no one to take me..." She rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry, it was rude of me to ask such a thing." 

"No, no, it's okay," Nathan assured her. "Michiru, I'd be honored to take you to the dance." 

"Really?" Michiru asked with a smile. "Oh thank you, Nathan. This means a lot." She gathered her belongings and headed for the door. "I have to be there early to set up for my performance, so I'll see you at six then?" 

Nathan nodded, lost in pure bliss. "Right. See you." 

* * *

The moment Michiru arrived home, for some strange reason, she felt rather light-headed with happiness. She had a date. And a cute one at that. All the guys were going to be so disappointed when she showed up at the dance, Nathan in her arms. 

Michiru slapped herself. "What am I thinking?" she said. "Sheesh, he's only doing this as a favor after all, don't get so worked up." 

"Talking to yourself?" said a voice behind her. Michiru jumped and turned around. 

"Haruka!" 

Haruka smiled. "You really like him, don't you?" 

Michiru was about to reply, but she didn't quite have the time. For at that moment, both her and Haruka's communicators started beeping obnoxiously. Haruka pulled hers out of her pocket and flipped the lip open with a single flick of her wrist. 

"Haruka here. What's up?" At first, all she heard in reply was some static, but then Sailor Mars' voice came through loud and clear. 

"Haruka? We need you, Michiru, and Taylor down at the elementary school right now! Our enemy's attacked again! And they're a lot stronger than..." With that, her voice was cut off. Michiru and Haruka both looked at each other with deep concern but strong determination. Without exchanging words, they both knew what they had to do. 

"Uranus Planet Power..." 

"Neptune Planet Power..." 

"Make-up!" 

The two Sailor Soldiers ran like the wind towards the elementary school, Uranus flying like it was nothing to her, with Neptune at her heels. Neptune's breathing was hard and quick. Adjust your speed to meet hers, she kept telling herself. But Uranus was unusually fast today, and despite Neptune's self-encouragement, she continued to find herself lagging a few steps behind. 

Finally, the two arrived at the elementary school where the inner senshi were already involved in quite a battle. From atop one building leapt a insect-like monster that shook the earth beneath its feet when it landed. Uranus recognized this lovely specimen as the creature that had attacked her and Taylor that morning when he first awakened as a Knight. The only difference this time was... 

"Uranus! Neptune! Watch it!" Jupiter called out to her comrades. The two girls reacted instantly, jumping into the air another mantis-like creature flew just beneath their heels. As they landed, a third one crawled out from behind a tree. 

"There's a hoard of them!" Neptune exclaimed, grabbing for her mirror. "Submarine reflection!" 

A white light blared from the surface of Neptune's weapon, hitting the creature whose attack on her and Uranus had just gone awry directly in the face. The monster fell to the ground. At first Neptune smiled confidently at her accomplishment, but the glory was to be short-lived. The creature was stunned, but far from defeated, as it wearily got back to its feet. Neptune gasped in shock and Uranus cursed under her breath. 

"Not even your strongest attack works? How are we supposed to beat them then?" she muttered angrily. 

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" The familiar sound of Sailor Moon's most powerful attack hit the insect and it struggled to stand up and instantly turned it to dust. Seeing success, Mercury immediately called on her visor computer to analyze what had just happened. 

"It seems..." she said, reading over all the figures as quickly and efficiently as she could. "That these monsters must be hit with two powerful attacks in immediate succession, one to break their defense, the second to finish them off." 

"Well," said Mars, preparing her fiery Flame Sniper attack. "Let's not waste any more time." 

The senshi jumped back into battle, each one struggling to hold her own, but still relying on her comrades to watch her back. Besides the two monsters that could be seen, three more were still lurking in the shadows, and they kept coming out and attacking when the senshi least suspected it. 

"World Shaking!" 

"Deep Submerge!" 

Uranus and Neptune combined their attacks to form a force powerful enough to destroy another insect monster that Venus had just managed to knock down. Venus hurriedly got to her feet. 

"Neptune, watch it!" she yelled. Neptune gasped and turned around to see another monster looming above her head, ready to strike in an instant. 

"Uranus Planet Power!" A familiar voice rang through the air, and it was not Haruka's. A blast of blue light threw the beast that was about to attack Neptune to the ground. The silhouette of a man dressed in blue armor stood against the moon light. 

"Taylor! You made it!" Uranus exclaimed. The knight jumped down and took a fighting stance. This was no time to celebrate; they still had a battle to win. 

"Planet Uranus," he whispered. "Lend me your energy. As a knight of Uranus, I ask you to give me the power to protect my princess." At these words, Uranus' outfit began to morph, changing from a Super Sailor Soldier to that of an Eternal Sailor Soldier. The Space Sword glowed with power. 

"All right," said Uranus, gripping her weapon. "Let's finish these punks." 

"I could've protected myself," Neptune said quietly, but her comrade did not seem to hear. 

After Uranus' upgrade, the battle went much faster. The other Sailor Senshi dealt the first needed blow to each of the remaining insects while Sailor Moon and Uranus finished the beasts with their attacks. When the last monster fell down dead, Uranus reverted back to her super form. The streets were a mess with the insect remains, not to mention the sections of sidewalk that had been ripped up by Uranus' World Shaking attack. The senshi all stood, exhausted but proud. Uranus knelt down, using her sword for support, while Neptune just sprawled herself out on the cement. Her body ached all over, with not so much as a drop of energy left in her veins. 

Just then, to everyone's horror, a hideous laugh echoed through the air. 

"Think you've won the war already, Sailor Senshi? I hope you're well-rested, because this was just the first battle!"   
  
  



	5. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 6   
by Katrina Kadabra 

The sheer amount of exhaustion actually caused Michiru to sleep rather soundly that night. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything to calm her nerves. The whole incident made Michiru even more uptight than she was before. That voice they had heard laughing was hauntingly familiar to her, the same voice she had heard in her dream. But what do about it? She could say something to Haruka, but then again, she didn't want to worry anybody. Especially now when the senshi already had enough to be concerned about. No, Michiru decided. She would keep quiet for just a bit longer. See what happened. Besides, she didn't always want to rely on Haruka and the others. She could handle things on her own. Couldn't she? 

* * *

"What on earth was that?" Eos asked when Garnet reappeared in their lair. 

"What was what?" Garnet asked casually as she took a seat, tossing her braided hair back like a whip. 

"Telling them 'This was only the first battle?'" Eos quoted. "Garnet, they wiped out over half our resources! And I spent years breeding together that bug army too." Eos childishly turned out her lower lip just to show how really upset she was. But Garnet didn't seemed to care too much. 

"The point is I scared them," she said. "This is all a mental game, Eos. And now we have the advantage. The Sailor Senshi were exhausted from that battle, and as far as they know, we still have unlimited power. As long as we can keep their spirits down, we'll win for sure." 

"That may be your only chance," Cin said quietly, as she looked into the water mirror. Garnet walked over to curiously peer over Cin's shoulder. The lights near the inner planets were going stronger. "Their awakening is soon," Cin informed her mistress. Garnet cursed under her breath. 

"We can't play games anymore," she muttered. "We have to strike quick and hard before those new lights appear." 

"Let me do it," said Eos, standing up. "I'll take the rest of the army and fight with this..." she held up her red hand mirror. "With my power, I can devastate the Sailor Senshi before they have the chance to recover." 

"You'd better," said Garnet. "Otherwise you'll have a lot more to worry about than your little insect friends." Eos nodded confidently and faded into the darkness. 

* * *

It was Friday afternoon. Haruka was actually home for once, reading the latest copy of her racing magazine, while Michiru sat off to the side, still working on her painting. Anxiously, she dabbed the brush into the paint to touch the canvas with quick delicate strokes. The image forming depicted a beautiful seascape among a green and blue mist. And in the air above a jet black sky, which Michiru was delicately sprinkling with minute white stars. 

"Another Neptune painting again?" Haruka asked. Michiru looked up startled, not realizing that Haruka was even watching her. 

"Yes," she replied. "I've been trying for a while to do a painting of my planet that I like, but everyone turns out looking terrible." 

"Terrible?" Haruka asked, looking wide-eyes at the canvas. "Michiru, stop being so hard on yourself. It looks gorgeous." 

"Maybe to you," Michiru sighed. "But to me it looks like there's something missing." 

"Why don't you give it a rest for today?" Haruka suggested. "Don't forget you have your concert tonight. You can take another shot at this tomorrow." 

"I suppose you're right," said Michiru, placing the paintbrush down as the two girls headed for their respective rooms to get changed. 

Haruka's dress for the evening was a beep blue, tight at the waist and hips, unlike her typical clothing. She wandered into Michiru's room, fidgeting with a thin silver chain that she was trying to get around her neck. 

"Can you give me a hand here?" she asked. 

Michiru giggled and walked behind Haruka, taking the two ends of the necklace and fastening them together. It was a lovely compliment to the simplicity of Haruka's attire, reminding Michiru of a time all but lost to memory. 

"You look like a princess," she commented, alluding to the Silver Millennium. 

"Thanks," Haruka replied, so Michiru couldn't tell whether she got the reference or not. "So do you." 

Michiru smiled at Haruka's compliment, then began to gather her music for tonight. Anxiously she flipped through the pages, even though she'd already checked them a dozen times. Still, better safe than sorry, she told herself. She'd be in a real mess if one page was missing. But there were worries to be had; all the pages were there just as she had left them. Confidently, Michiru tapped the pile on her desk so all the papers lined up nice and neat. 

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Since Michiru was still getting ready, Haruka took it upon herself to do the answering, figuring it was probably Taylor anyway. She was a bit surprised when she opened the door and found someone else there instead. 

"Hey Michi!" she called out. "Visitor here to see you!" 

"Huh?" Michiru asked, peeking out from her bedroom. When she saw who standing there, she almost dropped her nicely-ordered music pages into a mess on the floor. 

"Nathan!" she exclaimed. "Aren't you early?" The young man glanced down at his watch. 

"Only ten minutes," he said hesitantly. "But I can wait in the car if you want..." 

"Oh no, come on in," Haruka offered, stepping aside. Nathan nodded and stepped in, Michiru walking up to greet him. He was wearing a dashing white tuxedo, complimented by a blue-green rose pinned near his right shoulder. 

"Hey, check it out," he said with a nervous laugh, indicating Michiru dress. "We match." Michiru looked down at her attire. It was the exact same color. Without another word, Nathan undid the rose and stepped up to place it behind Michiru's ear. As he worked the stem through her hair, Michiru reached up to feel the petals. They were firm and fresh, and the blossom's sweet scent tickled her nostrils. 

"There you go," said Nathan, stepping back, shifting from one foot to another, as if to wonder if he had just stepped out of his place. Michiru glanced over in the mirror, unable to resist doing otherwise. It did look rather nice, she thought, and thanked Nathan for the gesture. 

At that moment, the doorbell sounded again. 

"That would Taylor," said Haruka pointing to the door, swinging it open to find her hunch confirmed. 

"Hello, Haruka," he said, stepping in and immediately taking Haruka into his arms, an action which she did not resist in the least. "You look gorgeous," Taylor went on, running his hand down Haruka's side and feeling her skin through the fabric. 

"You're not bad yourself," Haruka replied, giving a quick kiss on his cheek. Taylor was sporting a jet black tuxedo, the type of thing Haruka occasionally made formal appearances in. "Geez, I feel like I'm in such a role-reversal," she added, blushing a bit and turning back to Michiru and her date. She quickly introduced Taylor to Nathan, though Nathan replied that he had actually met Taylor a couple times before, through classes and the like. 

"Hey, that makes things easy," said Haruka. "Shall we go then?" 

Michiru nodded in reply and picked up her violin and sheet music, after which she allowed Nathan to take her arm as they headed out the cars. He had a kind and gentle touch, Michiru thought, but quickly tried to push those ideas from her mind. This was just casual, she had to remind herself of that. Meanwhile, Nathan fumbled a bit through his pockets, trying to remember where on earth he had put those car keys, but noticed that Taylor wasn't doing any such thing. His keys were still on the table where he'd dropped them as he came in. 

"Aren't you driving?" he asked Taylor. Taylor looked at Nathan in shock. 

"Are you kidding?" he replied with a smile. "Haruka would have my head."   
  
  
  



	6. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

Extra Notes: Okay, I'm finally off on spring break so *hopefully* the updates will come a little more often. (I was good this time, ne?) Thanks so much everyone, for following the story despite the big delays between chapters. We're coming towards the end, so I hope everyone is enjoying the plot thus far. I actually ended on a bit of a cliffhanger this time, but I've done worse. ^_^ Thank you again, and enjoy! 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 7   
by Katrina Kadabra 

The theme for the dance that evening greeted the two couples boldly as they approached the school building. "Spring Romance" read a large sign written in multi-colored magic marker and posted in the front window. Very chic, Michiru giggled to herself. As they walked inside, the hallways complimented the décor with a bright pastel colors of balloons, flowers, and streamers dangling from the ceiling. For some reason, the thought of her performance being only a short time away made Michiru nervous again, and she pulled her violin case closer to her side. She didn't know why she was so worked up. She'd done much bigger concerts than this before, and usually the student body loved her no matter what she did anyway. Perhaps there was something else making her apprehensive... 

As Michiru's thoughts began to wander aimlessly again, she felt her elbow accidentally collide with someone else's. 

"Please excuse me," she said flustered, as she glanced up to see who it was she had hit. As her eyes met his face, Michiru's apologetic persona fell, she wouldn't have been quite so sorry if she knew ahead of time who it was she had run into. 

"Well, look who it is," he said sarcastically. "Little miss class queen herself. And who's this...?" He motioned his head towards the young man at her side. Nathan thought he recognized this person - Seth didn't hide his feelings of contempt towards Michiru's companion, nor his affection for Michiru herself. 

"My date," Michiru said firmly, taking a hold of Nathan's arm, hoping it would make Seth get the idea and go away. Nathan felt his blood rush. 

"Date?" Seth laughed. "Well, you must have been desperate to bring a geek like him with you. Didn't you hear that I was available?" He took a step closer to Michiru, but was quickly cut off by Haruka, who stepped in and glared angrily down at him. 

"Back off," she ordered. "Don't you have something more useful to do?" 

Seth didn't quite back off. Instead he looked suspiciously over Haruka's attire a drew another bitter smile. 

"Now this I don't know what to say to," he remarked. "What's the matter, Haruka? Have a fight with a your girlfriend?" 

Michiru wondered how Haruka would react to that, probably beat the guy senseless as she had promised earlier. But instead, Haruka was surprisingly calm and simply showed her fist, the knuckles cracking as she brought it precariously close to Seth's face. 

"Don't make me use this," she warned. Seth held up his hands in defense. At least he was smart enough to know when he was outdone. 

"Okay, okay, I'm going," he said. "But don't think I don't see through that pathetic guise of yours, Haruka Tenou. You'll always be trash to me." Haruka probably would have jumped on him for that one, but Michiru noticed Taylor's hand, gently holding her arm, calming her. Satisfied, Seth stepped back, sweeping past Michiru's hair as he left and whispering, "Save a dance for me." Then he was gone. 

"Jerk," Haruka muttered, finally allowing Taylor to release her arm. "So help me, if I ever get him alone, he IS dead." She slammed her eager fist into the palm of her hand and then sighed. 

"Is he always like that?" Nathan asked. 

"Usaully," Michiru answered quietly. "He's been bothering Haruka and I ever we came here. 

"Come on, we won't let him ruin our evening," Haruka said brightly. "Let's go." 

Michiru nodded as they headed into the dance room, greeted by friends and familiar faces, including Usagi and the rest of the girls, along with their dates for the evening. Michiru noticed as they walked that Nathan was gripping her hand a touch stronger than he was before. What could have caused him to do that? Probably Seth had upset him, she concluded. Michiru had certainly seen the hair on the back of Haruka's neck standing up when Seth was coming onto her. Michiru could have kicked herself for that whole incident. There was Haruka, ready to bail her out of a tight situation as always. She felt so helpless, just like during the battle. Quietly, as almost without realizing it, Michiru whispered under her breath, "I should have said something." 

Strange, as Michiru spoke, she could have sworn she heard the same words being murmured from Nathan as he held her arm. But there was no time to explore this further. The music in the room quietly faded as Aya walked onto the stage set in the back of the room and spoke into the microphone. 

"Hi, everyone! I'm so glad you could all make it here tonight. We've got a special treat in store for you, so please put your hands together for our guest performer for the evening, Michiru Kaioh!" 

Everyone cheered and the spotlight searched the audience until it landed on Michiru, who smiled at waved pleasantly. 

"Guess I'd better go," she said to Nathan, holding up her violin. The young man nodded. 

"Good luck, Michiru." 

The cheers quietly down as Michiru made her way up the stage, the spotlight following her all the way. She had to lower the microphone just a touch, otherwise the violin music would sound far too harsh. Everything settled, Michiru took a deep breath and started to play. 

The music starting of slowly and gracefully as Michiru began to breath life into the instrument in her hands. She drew out each note with a solemn tone, counting the beats silently in her mind. With every pass of the bow, the strings vibrated beneath her fingertips, pouring out their song to the listening ears of the audience. Now came the part in the song where Michiru had to speed up the tempo. Carefully... ease into it. Now, go! The music picked up and Michiru gave the bow short repetitive thrusts, flying between the four strings. She never lost her place, though. It was all too familiar. She was more likely to forget how to walk or speak. As the song ended with one strong note, Michiru allowed the bow to jump off the bar as she gracefully raised her hand into the air, holding the bow like a trophy. They audience roared their approval and Michiru took a bow. Nathan even initiated a standing ovation, which Haruka and Taylor followed very enthusiastically. Michiru stepped off the stage blushing just a bit. 

"That was amazing," Nathan said, running up to her. "I never heard you play like that." 

"Oh, don't flatter me," she said smiling. "You've heard me play countless times before." 

"Well, it sounded especially beautiful tonight," he said. After Michiru had walked down, the DJ for the night walked up onto the stage and began to play some dance music, a lively and energetic song to start the evening off. Haruka and Taylor both looked expectably at each other and Taylor took Haruka into him arms. Nathan glanced shyly in Michiru's direction. 

"I don't suppose you want to dance?" he asked. Michiru thought it over for a moment. Well, this was what she had come here for, so why not? 

"Sure," she answered with a smile and took Nathan's arms. 

The dance floor was a bit crowded, everyone wanted to get in on the first song of evening, not the mention the tune was energetic as well. But after a few minutes, the music began to slow down, the lights lowering just a tad to add to a more romantic atmosphere. The playful groups then backed away so the more serious couples to have some space to themselves. Michiru glanced over at Haruka and Taylor, who of course, went right on dancing, still holding each other passionately. Michiru sighed and started to pull away from Nathan until she realized to her shock, that he was still holding onto her, his eyes staring into space as if lost in a happy dream. 

"Does he want me to slow dance with him?" Michiru thought to herself. She hadn't quite planned for this, and wasn't sure what everyone would make of it. "I suppose it would be alright," she concluded. She hadn't slow danced in a while anyway, she hoped at least she remembered how. As she moved back in closer towards him, Nathan turned his head and smiled at her. Michiru managed to return the gesture. 

As they circled around, Michiru couldn't help but wonder what Nathan was thinking. His kindness and passion towards her seemed so genuine. Was he doing this just because he admired her? A lot of guys on the sidelines were probably ready to kill the one who had the nerve to share a dance with "their" Michiru Kaioh. Michiru had many admirers, enough to make her ill if she thought about it. All of them poured over her, as if possessed, telling her how beautiful she was, how well-mannered, how perfect. Of course they thought that, they only saw her at her peak, during her performances or occasionally walking home from school. They weren't in love with her, they were in love with a dream, an image they had constructed in their minds that just so happened to resemble her. It was for this reason that Michiru had stopped paying any attention to her "adoring" fans some time ago. But Nathan... Nathan was different. Moving across the dance floor, feeling his gentle and caring touch, Michiru could sense it. He wasn't just here as a fan or an admirer, though she was sure he was both of those as well. He was here as a friend, a young man who might, just might, have genuine feelings for Michiru herself, and not her limelight counterpart. 

"What am I thinking?" Michiru asked herself. "I can't let myself do this. If I let him get close to me... what do I think will come out of it? Some childish romance, I suppose." She looked in to Nathan's eyes and he looked back at her. 

Michiru felt her heart starting race, just like it had been all evening. Only now she didn't have the excuse of her upcoming concert to fall back on. Could it possibly be...? 

Just then, from the opposite corner of the dance floor could be heard a girl shrieking. And after that, a large explosion that opened up a rather gaping hole in the ceiling as a woman with pale skin and long blonde hair floated in through the entrance she had made. 

"Well, how was that for an entrance?" she asked. The students began running a panic for the exit. 

"No!" Michiru thought to herself. "What are they doing here now?"   
  
  



	7. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 8   
by Katrina Kadabra 

The long blonde-hair girl floated down onto the floor, looking curiously over the ruined scenery 

"Oh my," she said in an airy voice. "Looks like I crashed the party." She then turned over and looked towards the group of students standing there on the remains of the dance floor, which by now was only the un-transformed Sailor Senshi and their dates for the evening. 

"Minako," Usagi elbowed her friend. "You guys distract her, Mamoru and I are going to transform." 

"I'll go with you," Haruka volunteered. Usagi nodded silently. They had to do this quickly and secretly, otherwise the others might see something. Luckily, Minako took care of that. 

"Hey, you ugly old hag!" Minako yelled. "You think you can come in and ruin a beautiful evening? You've got a lot of nerve!" Eos glared in the young girl's direction. 

"Exactly... WHAT did you just call me?" she asked, her eyebrow twitching as fury boiled inside of her. 

"Uh... Minako?" Jamie asked sweatdropping. "You sure that's such a good idea? Maybe we should get out of here... that thing looks dangerous." 

"Just trust me," said Minako with a smile. Rei, Ami, and Makoto stepped confidently next to her, ready for whatever might happen. Even not transformed, it was their duty to protect the innocent people who would be hurt if this monster had her way. Meanwhile, Usagi and Mamoru quickly slipped out, along with Haruka and Taylor. 

Michiru watched the scene unsure of what to do, silently cursing at herself. If she hadn't been so unconfident, if she hadn't brought Nathan here, she would be able to transform now. And who knew what this witch in front of them was capable of? To her surprise, Nathan had yet to run off, and neither had any of the others. Chad, Greg, Ken, and Jamie. All of them stood there watching Eos with great determination. Why, Michiru wondered. Did they actually think they could do something to stand against her? They had no powers of their own. 

"You're all fools to try and defy me," the creature before them went on. "It's sad, but you all could have lived very long lives if you hadn't interfered..." She held up her hand, apparently preparing to launch an attack. But before she could get that far, a voice called out, 

"Hold it right there!" Everyone turned around to see four silhouettes standing in the entrance way. Sailor Moon stepped forward, confident as ever, ready to recite. 

"Ruining a romantic dance, scaring and hurting innocent students, this kind of action cannot be tolerated! On behalf of love of justice, I am Sailor Moon. In the name of the moon, I shall punish..." Before Sailor Moon could quite get her last line finished, a blast of energy hit the floor where she was standing. Sailor Moon jumped back in fright, shocked that someone had the gall to interrupt her perfectly lovely speech. She looked up to see where the blow had come from, as Eos stood holding a out a red hand mirror, its surface glowing with power. 

"That's her weapon?" Michiru gasped. She had never known anyone to carry a mirror as a weapon besides herself, and this one seemed to have remarkable power, perhaps even rivaling that of Neptune's prized talisman. 

"So what?" said Sailor Moon confidently, holding out the Eternal Tier. "I can beat that easily! Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Sailor Moon unleashed her most powerful attack, but Eos did not seem at all worried about it. She merely held up her mirror and to Sailor Moon's horror, the attack reflected right off it, ending at the ground and forcing the others to jump out of the way, or else be hit by the powerful blast. Sailor Moon looked up in shock. 

"Not so confident now, are you?" the villainess laughed. "Let me introduce myself, Sailor Moon. My name is Eos, and I'm here on behalf of my mistress Garnet. I've come to find the most powerful Sailor crystal, your silver crystal." 

"You won't get it," Tuxedo Mask answered sternly, taking a step in front of his love. Uranus held up the blade of the Space Sword. 

"Not while we're here," she added confidently. Eos threw up her hands and sighed. 

"If you're going to be difficult, then fine. I suppose I have no choice but to fight you." 

"A fight's sure what you'll get," Uranus growled, charging at Eos with her sword. But narcissistic as she was, the girl was not without skill. She jumped to the side, leaving Uranus to swipe at the thin air. Uranus gritted her teeth and landed on the ground. They would have to find another method of attack 

Michiru was not the only one frustrated because she couldn't transform. Across the room, Rei harbored similar feelings in her heart as she held on tightly to Chad. This had happened countless times before. He wanted to stay there and protect her; she couldn't run away. Yet she couldn't transform either. How much Rei wished that she could fight alongside him, like Usagi and Tuxedo Mask. 

At Rei entertained these thoughts in her head, she thought she felt a strong power coming form the man beside her. She glanced up and gasped. It couldn't be... a red glowing symbol was forming on Chad's forehead. The symbol of Mars! 

Rei's first reaction was to jump up and scream. But she soon realized she was not the only one. Ami, Makoto, and Minako were all in for a surprise as well. 

"No!" Eos growled angrily. "The new lights cannot be born already! I'll snuff you out before you ever have a chance to shine!" With that, she let forth another powerful attack. Sailor Moon and Uranus jumped up and concentrated their power to form a barrier, protecting their friends from harm. Michiru watched the whole scene in awe. These symbols... what did they mean? Or could what Luna said to them earlier possibly be true? 

As if in a daze or a dream, each of the four girls stood up, holding the hands of their loved ones. The symbols of each of their respective planets now showing brightly on their foreheads, they called out into the sky. 

"Mercury Crystal Power!" 

"Mars Crystal Power!" 

"Jupiter Crystal Power!" 

"Venus Crystal Power!" 

"Make-up!" 

A spectrum of light enveloped the group, and when it had cleared, there stood Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. And beside them were Chad, Greg, Jamie, and Ken. Only they weren't themselves anymore. Their bodies were flowing with planetary energy, and they were each dressed in a suit of armor similar to Taylor's. 

"The knights of the inner solar system!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed. "It's just like Luna and Artemis said!" 

Nathan watched the scene with fascination embedded in his deep blue eyes. Somehow all of this seemed vaguely familiar to him, like a lost dream. Michiru, however, was less moved by the display of emotion before her. She didn't want it to, but somehow she could not stop this deepening frustration and yearning in her spirit. Why them? Why the inner senshi? Why Haruka and not her? Was she not good enough? During the battle, Michiru had felt this strange sensation as if a light close to her was trying to awaken as well, but it had quickly faded. Unable to bear the sight anymore, Michiru ran out of the room, with Nathan following after her.   
  



	8. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 9   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Bang! Another blast from Eos' mirror sent Sailor Jupiter falling to the ground. 

"Are you alright?" Ken asked worriedly, not quite sure how to use this new found power of his. 

"We have to come together!" cried Sailor Moon. "Otherwise we won't beat her!" A second blast hit the ground near her feet. Uranus quickly ran up and held her sword to the air, holding a temporary barrier. The knights all looked at each other, apparently baffled by Sailor Moon's words. Come together? What did that mean and how did they do it? Finally, Taylor gave an exasperated sigh and ran up to the group. 

"Listen, you want to protect the girls, don't you?" he demanded. Again, glances at each other. 

"Yes," Chad said firmly. "With all my heart I want to protect her." 

"That's where your power lies," explained Taylor. "Where that light you gave off before came from. Focus all your energy towards your princess. Think only of her and your desire to protect her. Trust me, please!" 

"Taylor, watch it!" Uranus called out. Taylor reacted just in time to avoid another hit. 

"Will you brats just stay still!" Eos yelled. "You're making this so annoying!" 

The knights looked and each other and nodded confidently. Each one closed his eyes, the symbol on his forehead a sign of his hidden power. As they concentrated, an aura of light surrounded each of the inner senshi, morphing their uniforms. 

"I feel it..." Jupiter whispered. "I feel new energy flowing into my body." 

"This is the power..." Mercury whispered. "Of the eternal inner senshi..." 

Each of the girls let off an air of power, and Uranus beamed at the sight. Her heart could feel the warmth of love emanating strongly in this room. There was no way the pitiful enemy before them stood a chance. Sailor Moon ran to the center of the group to help finish the job. 

"Sailor Planet Attack!" The power of the five senshi took Eos by complete surprise and hit her full force. When the debris had cleared, Eos was lying on the ground, badly bruised and all but defeated. Slowly she opened her eyes, alive, but too weak to move. 

"Yes!" Uranus cheered. "One more blow and she's definitely finished for good!" She prepared for the final attack, but suddenly a flash a blue light blocked her way. When the light cleared, another woman, dressed similarly to Eos was standing next to her, filling the room with a chill of her cold power. 

"What'd you what, Cin?" Eos asked angrily. 

"Silly little girl," Cin said. "I can't keep bailing you out of tight spots like this, you know." She grabbed Eos by the arm and turned to the Sailor Senshi. 

"Impressive battle," she said. "But it's not over yet." And with that the two of them vanished. 

* * *

"Hey, Michiru, slow down!" called Nathan, running after the girl as she fled from the building. Michiru stood next to a tree, clutching her arms and allowing a few angry tears to fall. 

"Why?" she asked herself the same question over and over again. 

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked. He had never seen Michiru quite like this before. She was always so happy around school, and always had a kind word to say to everyone. But now... it hurt to see her so upset, and yet he didn't know if there was anything he could do to comfort her. 

"Let me ask you a question, Nathan," she said, looking at the ground. "Have you ever gotten jealous?" 

"Jealous?" Nathan asked. "Sure, lots of times." 

"I mean, really jealous. To the point that you get so angry you don't even want to be around the person you're jealous of. Even if they're your closest friend." 

Nathan sighed. "Yes, I had something like that. A few years ago, my best friend and I saw this contest in video design. The winner was to receive a full scholarship to a university we both really wanted to go to. Neither of us thought we had much of a chance, but when the results came in , he was accepted and I was rejected. The sad part was, I never quite let go of that anger. And before I knew it, he transferred to another school and we haven't spoken since." 

Nathan's words stung at Michiru's heart. Up until now, she hadn't really paid attention to her feelings at all. But that frustration and anger... would it really lead to a split between her and her friends? Michiru didn't want that, the very thought scared her. She leaned her head over onto Nathan's chest. She could sense how much she cared for him. But she didn't know if her heart was ready to return the feelings. 

"Nathan..." she said quietly. "Will you sit with me for a while? I just don't think I'm ready to go home yet." The young man smiled. 

"Of course. I'll stay as long as you need." 

Meanwhile, the senshi re-transformed into their human guises. 

"Whoa... that was awesome!" Chad explained. "I had no idea we had that kind of power." 

"I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed it," Greg added on. 

"You better have," said Haruka. "Because she still isn't gone. And from the looks of things, she's not the only enemy we have to beat." 

"We'll be alright," said Usagi, cheerful as always. "Now that we have the inner knights on our side, you guys can upgrade to eternal senshi whenever you need to. We'll definitely beat her."   
  
"Not to dampen the mood..." said Ami. "But where did Michiru go?" 

"She'll be fine, just give her some time alone," Haruka replied. "I think this whole thing has been a bit rough on her." 

* * *

Haruka found Michiru the next morning fast asleep on the couch, where she had fallen at about 2 that morning. Haruka smiled at the sight; maybe she and Nathan were finally growing closer. She hoped it was enough to distract Michiru from all this business about the knights, but only time would tell that for sure. 

"Good morning," she said, rousing Michiru from her near-comatose state with a few good shoves on her shoulder. 

"Morning," Michiru replied, lazily rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?" 

"10 o'clock," Haruka replied. Ten? Michiru was shocked, she never slept in like this before. Thank goodness there was no school today, otherwise she'd be a total wreck. Not wanting to waste anymore of the day, Michiru got up and walked into the kitchen. Haruka followed behind. 

"You know, for someone who was only going there to play a solo, you sure stayed pretty late last night," Haruka observed, trying to make some light of the rather hectic events of the previous evening. 

"Don't be ridiculous," Michiru replied, cool and collected as always. "Nathan was the one who wanted to stay. It was nothing special." 

"Hmm," said Haruka, which a knowledgeable smile on her face. "So did you two kiss last night or not?" 

"What!" Michiru exclaimed, redness rushing to her cheeks. "I don't see why that's any of your business," she said, turning to put the coffee on to heat up. "I didn't pry this much with you and Taylor." 

"Ah, so this is like me and Taylor now?" Haruka asked, which only got Michiru more frustrated. 

"No, I didn't mean that!" she insisted. "Nathan and I are just acquaintances, and nothing more." 

"Mm, denial. Always a sure sign that you have feelings for someone," Haruka replied with a nod. Angrily, Michiru stood up and pushed Haruka out of the way, making a straight line for her room. 

"I hate you, Haruka Tenou!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut. Haruka still only smiled. 

"Don't worry, you'll always be my best friend too!" 

* * *

"Idiot!" While the disagreement between Haruka and Michiru may have been a mere argument between friends, back at her lair, Garnet's fury at her comrades was exploding. "Eos, how DARE you show your face back here! You should have let the senshi kill you!" 

"Madame Garnet, please," said Cin, trying her best to calm her mistress' fury. "Eos may not have failed completely." 

"Thanks a lot," Eos muttered. 

"Then how is it she's come back full of injuries, while the senshi remained untouched and the knights of the inner planets have awakened?!" Garnet demanded to know, taking out her anger on a nearby table instead. 

"Well, she seems to have agitated one of the senshi anyway..." Cin pointed to her water mirror and showed a picture of Michiru alone in her room, fingering her transformation pen. 

"The water senshi is looking for a fight," Cin explained. "She is lost and unsure of herself. My power feeds on that kind of self-doubt, and amplifies it. I will use my power to restore Eos' health, and add more energy to her weapon. Seeing one of their own fall may be all the senshi need to surrender the silver crystal to us." 

Garnet considered the possibility for a moment. "But to do that would weaken your energy level and health considerably," she said. 

"I do not mind, it is for the mission," said Cin. "I am not a good fighter on my own. Plus I believe Eos will be much better suited for this task." 

"Very well," said Garnet, her anger finally starting to recede. "Do whatever you see fit. But if you fail me again, don't dare show your faces in this place." 

"Yes, Madame Garnet." The two bowed and disappeared into the darkness. 

Cin's vision of Michiru was quite correct. At the same moment the villains sat discussing it, Michiru was standing next her bed, deep in thought, holding her transformation pen in one hand and her mirror in the other. 

"I'll show them..." Michiru thought to herself. "I'll show everyone, including myself, that I am not a just a jealous coward. I'm a strong fighter. I can face the enemy alone." She gripped the handle of the Deep Aqua Mirror. "Don't let me down," she whispered, not quite sure whether she was speaking to the talisman or to herself. 

In the main room, Haruka sat on the couch reading a favorite novel, something she didn't seem to have as much time for nowadays. Yet despite the privilege, Haruka's mind could not seem to concentrate on the words in front of her. 

"I hope I didn't upset Michiru too much," she pondered aloud. "I was pretty mean to her, I guess. Maybe I should go apologize." Haruka sat her book down and started to sit up, but just as she did, the doorbell rang. Running to answer it, Haruka was surprised, not to mention pleased, to see Nathan standing on the other side. 

"Hi!" he said pleasantly. "Is Michiru in?" 

"Sure, she's in her room," said Haruka, showing Nathan inside. This was perfect. A visit from Nathan might just be what Michiru needed to cheer up. Unfortunately, when they got to her room, there was no reply. 

"Michiru?" Haruka asked, knocking lightly on the door. "Michiru, are you in there? Nate's here to see you." Still no answer. Haruka felt a bit guilty, but nevertheless, turned the doorknob and walked in, only to discover to her horror that Michiru's room was empty.   
  



	9. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi, with the exception of any new characters inserted by yours truly. 

Rating: PG 

Notes/Foreword: I use one made-up character in the story, Taylor. Taylor's original appearance was in my first fanfic, "A Knight for Uranus." After that, he started making at least some appearances in most of my Sailor Moon stories. During Silver Millennium, Taylor was one of the guardians of Princess Uranus. They began to fall in love with each other, but the relationship was cut off when Taylor had to leave to protect Queen Serenity and Sailor Uranus was forbidden to leave her post. This was the last she saw of him until both of them were reborn in present time. Soon after meeting Haruka, Taylor recovered his memories and they fell in love once again. Taylor is carefree and easy-going when he's civilian (he usually lets Haruka have her way whenever she wants). As a fighter, he is highly determined and won't go down easy. His major purpose is to help Sailor Uranus upgrade, but this only works for short intervals, like when Super Sailor Moon used the grail to upgrade. He has brown hair, hazel eyes, and enjoys watching races (go figure,) reading, and fishing. 

---------------------   
A Knight for Neptune: Chapter 10   
by Katrina Kadabra 

Neptune walked nervously up to the city park. She could sense the enemy's presence strongly here. And surprisingly, except for a few squirrels and birds that walked along the path, the place was empty. Neptune tightened her grip on the Aqua Mirror, glancing around her, ready for any kind of attack. 

"I know you're here..." she whispered quietly. "So why don't you come out?" Inside, Neptune felt a bit guilty for running off and not saying anything. But if she had told Haruka where she was going, her companion would no doubt want to come with her, and that was something Michiru could not allow. Just once, she wanted to fight on her own. Once she proved to herself she could do it, things could go back to the way they were. And wouldn't everyone be so shocked that she beat the enemy on her own? "I can do it..." Neptune told herself firmly. "I know I can." 

"Well, look who it is!" rang out a hauntingly familiar voice. Neptune whirled around to see the same girl who had attacked them at the dance standing in front of her. Eos. But something was different this time. She had a new kind of power inside of her, a cold power. 

"Fancy seeing you here," Eos teased. "Aren't you going to run away again?" 

"I don't run away," Neptune said firmly with even a touch of anger. "Now are you going to fight me or not?" 

"Anxious to battle are we?" Eos asked. "It that because you really want to defend your planet? Or can you just not stand the thought of your allies finding their knights and not you?" Eos' words stung hard at Neptune's heart. How did this witch even know anything about the knights? But Neptune didn't care about that right now. She lifted her hand as a large ball of blue water formed. 

"Deep Submerge!" she yelled out. The attack blasted through the air, heading straight at Eos. But to Neptune's shock the girl didn't move. She simply stood still and when the attack came near, she held out her hands in front of her, forming a strong barrier that averted the attack and left her unharmed. 

"You'll have to do a lot better than that," she said. Neptune scowled. It looked like she had no other options. She held out the talisman she had been keeping with her and called on its power. 

"Submarine reflection!" As Neptune had suspected, Eos made a grab for her weapon as well, the red mirror. Except that it wasn't ready anymore, this time it was jet black. 

"Shadow reflection!" she called out and a blast of light collided with Neptune's. Neptune gasped in shock. The two attacks had cancelled each other out. Eos looked a bit steamed, apparently she didn't expect Neptune's power to be that strong. 

But whatever her worries were, Eos did show them. She simply prepared herself for another attack. This time she ran towards Neptune, fiercely calling on her power. 

"Shadow Reflection!" Neptune was shocked by Eos' aggressiveness, but managed nevertheless to side-step the attack. 

Suddenly, Eos vanished from view. Neptune looked helplessly around her. Where was she? The answer came when a sharp blow hit Neptune on the back of the head. The senshi fell forwards, skinning her elbows a bit, but otherwise uninjured. The Aqua Mirror was at her feet. 

Neptune glanced up, her head throbbing in pain. Eos stood above her, a look a pure evil steamed across her face. Neptue grunted and tried to reach for her weapon, but Eos pushed her foot down hard, right onto the senshi's wrist. Neptune screamed in pain. 

"You fool," Eos said. "You really thought you were a match for me?" She reached down and picked up the mirror at Neptune's feet. "This is a nice little keepsake, maybe I can get Cin to transfer its power to me, wouldn't that be grand?" Neptune did not answer. She could not. She could not do anything expect turn her face down in defeat. Frustrated, Eos gave Neptune a swift kick to the chin, and the girl fell backwards. She didn't try to move. 

"Time to finish this," Eos spat. She held up her dark mirror and prepared herself for the final attack. 

"Shadow Reflection!" The black ray of energy came forth on Eos' call. 

This is it, Neptune thought to herself. I'm going to die. Nathan... Haruka... forgive me. But suddenly, just before the blast made contact, a figure stepped in between taking the blunt of the hit full force and shield Neptune from harm. Eos looked up in shock - who would be foolish enough to step right in front of her blast? 

"Nathan!" Neptune screamed in horror when the light had cleared. And it was Nathan. Weakly he opened his eyes, and looked up at Neptune, somehow managing to force her a weak smile. 

"Are you okay... Michiru?" he asked. 

"Nathan..." Michiru forced herself up and ran to Nathan's side, falling onto her knees as she reached him. This was the last person she'd want to see hurt for her. She wanted to hold him, but his skin was badly burned and she was afraid she would only cause more pain. Instead, the tears started streaming from her eyes. 

"How did you know...?" she asked. 

"Haruka told me," he whispered. "About Sailor Neptune... and the knights..." He struggled for the next breath. "Michiru, you're a strong fighter no matter what. I always have faith in your power. But please, whatever you do, don't get yourself hurt. I don't think I could stand to see that..." 

"Silly," Neptune said through her tears, trying to force a smile. "You're the one who's hurt." She reached up and gently stroked Nathan's cheek with her finger. "I'm going to have to yell at Haruka, you know. She can never keep a secret." 

Nathan didn't answer, but he did reach his up hand and hold Neptune's palm against his cheek, which only made her cry more. Why? Why had she done it? She'd gone off on her own, against an enemy that was far more powerful. She should have been killed in that blast, and here Nathan, who didn't even have any powers of his own, was injured for her. Neptune would have done anything to reverse their positions right now. 

Neptune gasped. She suddenly felt Nathan's hand falling limp in her own. No... this couldn't happen. 

"Michiru..." he whispered. "I want you to know... I... I..." 

"I love you, Nathan," Neptune blurted out. She couldn't believe she just did. But the feelings were true. Underneath all the anger and jealously, in her time she spent with Nathan, a warm light was beginning to grow in her heart. Only now did she have the strength to bring it to the surface. On Neptune's words, Nathan smiled broadly, as if all his injuries were worth it just to hear those words. 

"I love you too, Michiru," he said, with a small laugh. "Geez, you don't know how long I've wanted to say that." The laugh suddenly turned to a harsh cough. Nathan's strength was leaving him, and quickly. 

"Nathan!" Neptune yelled. "Please, you can't leave me now!" He didn't respond, his body was still struggling to keep consciousness, but it was losing the battle. "Please..." Neptune whispered, and brought her lips in towards his. The moment they touched, Nathan's body suddenly let off a bright green glow. The blast startled Neptune at first, but she held strong, pressing her lips ever closer against his. As she did, the green light engulfed her body as well. Eos gulped nervously and stepped back. These two... it couldn't be. 

Neptune slowly opened her eyes. They were surrounded by waves of blue and green light, as if under the ocean, but there was no water. She looked across from her to see Nathan standing there, his injuries healed, but also, he was wearing a much different attire. 

"Nathan," she whispered, as she touched his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes, their deep blue passion staring up at her. 

"Michiru," he said, then he glanced around. "Where are we?" As he turned his face, Neptune thought he saw something, some kind of greenish mark on his forehead. 

"Come here," she whispered. He turned back towards her. Taking his chin gently in her hand, she brushed away his white-blonde hair to reveal a glowing green trident etched on his skin. "The symbol..." she gasped. At that moment, the vague surroundings began to fade, leaving the two of them standing back in the park. Neptune looked down at her own outfit to see it had changed - to that of an Eternal Sailor Soldier. And next to her was Nathan, dressed in a brilliant green and blue armor, and looking rather handsome, if Michiru said so herself. 

"It was you the whole time," she whispered, embracing his warm body. "You were my knight." 

Nathan wasn't quite sure how to react, but apparently it was true. He could feel the power of Sailor Neptune's planet within him, their hearts bonded with a strong passion unlike anything they had felt before. 

"My princess..." he whispered, kissing her soft green hair. "I've finally found you." 

"Oh, this is just too cute!" said a familiar voice. Neptune looked up to see Eternal Sailor Uranus along with Knight Uranus standing on the hillside. The two jumped down and ran up to the scene. 

"So I see you found your knight?" Sailor Uranus asked casually with a broad smile on her face. 

"You always interrupt my special moments, don't you?" Neptune asked, a bit irritated, but nevertheless happy to see her friend here. Uranus reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Neptune's shoulder. 

"You shouldn't ever feel like you have to fight alone," she said. "No matter what happens, I'm always at your side." 

"I know," said Neptune, drying a tear from her eye. 

"What do you say?" Uranus asked. "Shall we take care of this punk?" Neptune smiled and nodded. 

"Yes. Let's do it." The two friends stood back to back, each holding her respective weapon with utmost confidence. There was no need to hesitate now, Neptune told herself. She had both her knight and her dearest friend here at her side. Both of them cared deeply for her, she could sense their power, just the way she always had, in times long ago. 

"Planet Neptune," Nathan whispered. "Please lend your power to the talisman. Give my princess the power to protect us." His hand shot forward, and Neptune's mirror began to glow. But instead of giving off a blast of power as she expected it too, the item began to morph, changing its shape in a while light until it was no longer a hand mirror, but a beautiful crystal violin. An accompanying bow appeared in Neptune's hand. Neptune gasped. Was this her new power? Almost instinctively, Neptune brought the bow to the instrument's strings and began to play, sending out a wave of powerful energy as she did. 

"Submarine Violin Tide!" she yelled out. 

"Uranus Space Turbulence!" thundered Uranus' voice at almost the same moment. The two attacks made their way straight for Eos, combining together just before impact. The villainess tried to hold up her own mirror to reflect the attack, but the blow was far too great, and the glass shattered. Then the attack overtook Eos and she vanished from sight. 

At the same moment, a flash of light erupted from the water mirror that Cin was gazing into, completely enveloping her. She screamed out in pain, but by the time her mistress came running, she was no more. 

"Cin! Cin!" Garnet yelled, but the room was empty and there was no answer. Garnet ran over to the mirror and saw Uranus and Neptune standing there, their knights alongside them. Then the water became distorted, showing nothing but Garnet's own reflection. 

"Those brats!" she growled. "They took my two best warriors! They are not getting away with this!" With that, she vanished. 

Neptune fell to the ground, quite exhausted, but very pleased with herself. Her uniform morphed back to a Super Sailor's, and her crystalline violin became a mirror again. Uranus morphed herself back as well, her sword going back to a more normal size. She placed a comforting hand on Neptune's shoulder and helped her to her feet. 

"You did an awesome job," she said. "I mean it. Both of you." Uranus glanced over at Nathan, who was beaming like a child at Christmas as he took Michiru in his arms. But the moment of peace was not to last. The air was suddenly filled with a fiery anger, the clouds darkened, and in a blast of lightning, another woman appeared before the group. This one was dressed similarly to Eos, only she had red hair and armor, and her expression did not look at all careless. 

"I never thought you would get so far," she spat. "Destroying my two best warriors... as well as my water mirror. But I won't let anything stand in my way. You are all going to pay for this. My name is Garnet." She took a step forward and Neptune felt her body tense with fear. The energy emanating from this girl was even more powerful than Eos, from Garnet's talk, she must have been her leader. And now they had to face her? The situation was not looking too promising. 

"I don't think I have the strength in me to power-up again," she whispered to Uranus as she held her knight's arm tightly. 

"I know what you mean," Uranus muttered back. "But we have to do something, or she'll kill us." 

"Don't worry," Nathan whispered, holding Michiru closer to him. "No matter what happens, I will protect you." 

Neptune nodded and stood firm, ready to defend herself if she had to. Garnet held her hands together and yelled out, "Dark Lightning!" as a blast of black and red fire formed in her hands. Neptune closed her eyes, preparing for the worst, but suddenly as Garnet released the attack, Neptune felt another blast of energy coming from behind her, this one a warm and caring familiar light. 

"Crystal Power Kiss!" The two attacks impacted with each other and dissipated. Neptune gasped and opened her eyes. She was alive. 

"Attacking our friends? I just can't allow that!" Sailor Moon announced, walking up to the scene with her four allies and Tuxedo Mask at her side. "I don't know who you are or why you keep attacking us, but it's going to end here!" The Inner Knights appeared behind their princesses, as if just to annunciate Sailor Moon's seriousness. But Garnet only laughed. 

"So... Moon Princess, keeper of the Silver Crystal. Thank you so much for saving me the trouble of looking for you." 

"You will not beat us!" Sailor Moon announced. "Now or ever!" She turned to her friends. "Everyone," she said. "If we combine our power into one Sailor Planet attack, I think we can win." The senshi all looked doubtful at first but with an enemy as powerful as the one they were facing, it seemed there was little choice. While Garnet watched skeptically, they all gathered in a circle, including Uranus and Neptune, though Neptune had some doubts her power could be of help. Still, she would try her best for her friends. And her knight. 

Sailor Moon began the power up, together with Tuxedo Mask. Each of the inner senshi and their knights followed in turn. 

"Silver Moon Power!" 

"Mercury Crystal Power!" 

"Mars Crystal Power!" 

"Venus Crystal Power!" 

"Jupiter Crystal Power!" 

As the couples called on their respective planet's Neptune felt some new kind of power run through her, but she couldn't tell anything for sure. That and there were more important things at hand right now. She gripped Nathan's hand. 

"Uranus Planet Power!" 

"Neptune Planet Power!" Everyone closed their eyes, hair and cloth whipping in the wind with the power that surrounded them. This was it. 

"Sailor Planet Ultimate Attack!" The energy of the seven girls and their knights combined into one huge blast, hitting Garnet head-on and turning her to dust. Neptune thought she heard one last cry of "You'll pay for this!" but then there was silence. Garnet was defeated. 

The light faded and everyone reverted back to their earth forms, tired but proud. 

"Hey... our transformation pens changed," Haruka observed. She pulled out her pen to see it held a crystal heart on the top, with the emblem of her planet encompassed by a star inside. The other girls took out their pens to see the same thing had happened. With perfect timing as usual, Luna walked up to the group to offer an explanation. 

"Through combining your power, your energy has expanded, and now you can transform into Eternal Sailor Senshi at will," she said. "Keep your knights by your side, and they will give you even more power to protect this world." She turned towards Michiru... "Now, Neptune..." 

"Luna," Michiru said quickly. "I'm sorry. I acted very foolish, running out on my comrades like that. I almost cost us the entire battle." 

"Don't apologize," Luna said. "It wasn't entirely you. Artemis and I were doing some research. It seems Eos and Garnet had a third ally, called Cin. Her evil energy was enunciating your fears and doubts about the absence of your knight. Because of this, it was more difficult for Nathan to awaken, and thus your fears were confirmed." She walked up to the new couple. "But despite all this, both of you have come through the trial brilliantly. I must say I'm impressed." 

Nathan smiled and put his arm around Michiru. At first, Michiru was surprised, she even blushed a little. This new feeling she had been waiting for so long, was finally here. And it felt wonderful. She leaned her head onto Nathan's shoulders, feeling his power and love for her. And her heart returned the same. All the doubts, anger, frustration that she had harbored in herself melted away at Nathan's embrace. 

"I could get used to this knight thing," she thought as her lips found his, and in one brief moment, sealed their passion forever. 

_The End!_

**Author's Notes**: Long ending chapter, I know. I really did consider breaking this up into two chapters, but it just seemed like it would be dragging the storyline on when it didn't need to be. So what did you think? This was my first Michiru-centered story, and I really did try to make it more her tale than Haruka's. (It was so hard!) Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it, though I think there's some parts that could have been improved. Not the least of which would have been more timely updating, and I'm very sorry to everyone who had to put up with the long waits. Classes really took a toll on me this time, and I had to cut back on a lot of my normally fun activities to get work in. Another thing is that I think I just plain started posting too early. Normally I have the stories almost finished by the time I get to posting them. "Knight for Neptune" was only part-way done when I started. But live and learn, right? 

So now Michiru's got her knight. Nathan's a lot quieter than Taylor, but he's got his good points. He always thinks things through, and he's very passionate about Michiru, despite his shyness around her at first. Maybe now that they're dating, Michiru can help cure some of that. :) I have a few new fanfics that should be coming up soon, some Sailor Moon in which Nathan may make a second appearance, but also some other series too. I like to keep variety, in both my fanfic writing and my original writing. Otherwise I get predictable. (As if this story wasn't predictable… *Sweatdrop*) 

BTW, If anyone is interested, I have also gotten to launch my new website, Katrina's Forest: (www.katrinasforest.com). This is a site of my original work only, some of which you can see on FictionPress.net, but most of it is newer stuff that I won't be posting on FictionPress for a while. Anyways, enjoy. As always, thank you for reading my work and giving me feedback. It always means so much! 

-Katrina ^_^   
  
  



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